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You Can’t Prevent an Earthquake, but You Should Prepare for It

Not much good results from a major earthquake. The only possible benefit occurs when an earthquake unleashes groundwater in drought-stricken regions.

Major earthquakes can ignite fires and gas explosions, damage buildings and kill thousands of people.

An earthquake is not a once-in-a-lifetime event. In preparing to write this article, I searched Bing News for the term, earthquake. There were 2.8 million search results.

Four buildings at the Veterans Administration Hospital collapsed in the 1971 Sylmar earthquake.

In my first earthquake experience, I was in southern California 75 miles from the epicenter of the 1971 Sylmar killer quake at 6:01 a.m. on Feb. 1, 1971. It was 6.6 in magnitude.

As a young radio newscaster, I was in the studio delivering my regular 6 a.m. newscast when the big plate glass window — separating the disc jockey from me — began violently shaking. It seemed to go on for a minute.

Vividly, I recall adlibbing the words: “Ladies and gentlemen, it would appear we’re in the middle of an earthquake. Stay tuned to KDUO News for further details.”

Later, I would report nearly 60 people died, most were hospital patients, and there was $553 million in damage. Less than 10 percent of the damage was insured. Aftershocks continued for weeks afterward.

For me, it was an early warning history will repeat itself.

The U.S. Geological Survey forecasts a 46-percent probability of a 7.5 magnitude earthquake by 2044 in southern California. But there are countless reports of earthquakes around the world.

So my sense is that all businesses should prepare for such seismic events.

Here are six basic recommended steps:

1. Gather information

Communication is paramount. Have and share contact information for everyone connected with your company. Understand that voice traffic in disasters like earthquakes will clog mobile phone carriers so be prepared to text people, not telephone them.

For up-to-date information during an earthquake, use the U.S. Geological Survey’s Web site.

2. Stay protected

Prepare to be self-sufficient for several days. Stock up on first aid supplies, water and food for the worst-case scenarios.

Train your staff on the dos and don’ts of earthquake preparedness. Identify the safe areas in your business where employees can congregate. Earthquake-proof your building so that heavy equipment doesn’t fall on your workers.

3. Earthquake insurance

Unless you can self-insure against earthquakes, you might want to consider earthquake insurance. While it’s true premiums are expensive, you’d be able to recoup your losses and continue to operate as a business.

As in all valuable papers, store multiple copies of your policy, contact info for your insurance company and comprehensive documentation of your assets in secure locations. Pictures are good. Beware of any timeline requirements and follow the right protocol to file an insurance claim.

Risk Management – Making Best Decisions, Using Right Tactics — To prevent a crisis from interfering with the continuity of your business, you must strategically plan to manage any potential risks. That means avoiding the classic mistakes routinely made by companies, and making the right decisions for proactive measures to minimize any dangers.

5 Data Recovery Planning Tips for Computer Failures — Just a generation ago, risk management was a lot less complicated. Many businesses didn’t have to worry about hardware or software failures. Everything was processed manually. But in this digital age, business is severely disrupted if your system crashes and you haven’t backed up your information.

“Playing polo is like trying to play golf during an earthquake.”

-Sylvester Stallone

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.